In regards to job security, it’s been a bleak start to 2025. Stripe has already announced a recent round of layoffs, cutting loose 300 employees (just two years after shrinking its workforce by 14%). CNN, similarly, is reducing its workforce by 6%. Meta is following suit, terminating approximately 5% of its workers, and Microsoft reducing 1% of its workforce.
The long and short of it is we’re in tumultuous times, and workers are headed for choppy waters this year. A big part of the tug-of-war between workers and upper management is work from home culture, and the thorny RTO office debate rages on.
Staff are pushing back on RTO mandates, with flexible working skyrocketing last year, and that trend is only set to continue. But does that risk their relationships with managers? Is there a bias against those that choose to – or must – work from home? Some home workers have no choice, but does that still put them in the firing line?
“Out of Sight, Out of Mind” syndrome
There’s a perception (debatably an unfair one) that if employees are not visible, then there are question marks around their productivity. With the results of a survey by TonerGiant suggesting 41% of Brits feel they are less likely to get a promotion if they don’t go into the office.
There are still those that feel they need to monitor their employees to ensure they’re busy increasing shareholder value, with managers perceiving employees as 3.5% less productive when they work from home. Just this week, Barclays tightened their grip on the hybrid work policy.
So is there actually a bias against home workers? It will ultimately depend on the company, and its particular culture. Take computer giant Dell as an example: last year they announced a slew of penalties that targeted remote workers.
One Dell employee reportedly told Business Insider that remote workers are potentially more at risk of being let go in the event of a company restructure.
Amazon has also been previously known to penalise at-home employees, with Business Insider reporting to have seen messages that suggest those not conforming to RTO mandates could find themselves barred from promotions. Research also shows remote workers are more frequently overlooked for promotions in general.
The party line on RTO from corporate heads seems to be that they want to foster a more ‘fun office environment’, and aim to keep employees engaged. But does that suggest those that resist the idea are pariahs? Are home workers doomed to be branded with a scarlet letter if they don’t want to stand around the coffee machine chatting about last night’s episode of The Traitors with their boss?
With so many major companies back peddling on their hybrid/remote working policies, (whether it be sneakily under the radar or through cringe worthy corporate videos) this could understandably leave remote workers feeling uneasy: “If I’m not spending quality time with the boss, does this put me on the chopping block?”.
The home ground advantage: is remote work actually safer?
The perception is that offices are pushing hard for a return-to-office, making those that favour flexible working potentially targets for corporate wrath.
Despite the pressure mounting from some organisations for staff to get back into the office, evidence actually points to job security actually being far safer for remote workers.
Based on data we obtained for our Startups 100 Index 2025, we discovered some fascinating insights into job safety for remote workers in small businesses: fully remote workplaces were significantly less likely to make layoffs to stay afloat than both hybrid and full-time offices.
Fully remote-working offices only showed a 45% layoff rate, whereas hybrid-model offices had a much higher 56% layoff rate. Full-time offices came out by a significant margin as the most likely to make layoffs to keep themselves running, with a shocking 58% layoff rate.
So despite the ongoing RTO campaign, you’re actually at far less risk of redundancy if you’re working in a fully remote small business.
A major argument for this is that fully remote businesses won’t have nearly the same overheads to consider as hybrid or full-time offices: all the costs of leasing a premises including utilities, phone systems, and insurance. Not to mention supplies and furniture.
These are all considerable costs that can spin out of control for a small business, and result in a harsh impact on your bottom line, forcing some ugly decisions. A fully remote business won’t have to worry about any of these headaches.
How to bond in the remote world
So you might actually be at less risk of redundancy if you’re fully remote (or hybrid), but there’s still the issue of connecting with your co-workers through the cold eye of your laptop’s webcam.
Being remote might not put your job at risk, but it can foster feelings of isolation and leave you feeling disconnected from your team, and worse: overlooked for pay rises or promotions.
But just because you’re remote, doesn’t mean you should be left out. There’s plenty of ways you can bond with your colleagues or clients without actually having to meet up in the real world. Here are some tips to make sure you’re being included, and your efforts are recognised:
Book in regular one-on-one’s with your manager
It’s all well and good being part of a weekly team catch up, but if you’re part of a larger team, it can be easy to get lost amongst the reeds. Make sure you’re booking regular meetings with your line manager, to get some proper face time in.
Have virtual meetings with a range of co-workers
Make sure you’re not just getting face time with your direct manager: it’s a good idea to get some one-on-one time with all the members of your team, and in the wider company.
It may not immediately feel relevant to your role, but it’s always good practice to learn what all your co-workers are up to on a day to day basis, and build relationships in the wider company.
Be proactive
Don’t wait for your manager to check in on you. It can be easy to get lost in your work, but make sure you’re keeping a presence in your team.
Even if you’re performing at a consistently high level, you don’t want a co-worker to see your name on a spreadsheet and think “who is that again?”.
Shout your achievements from the rooftops
If you’re a remote worker, it can feel like your efforts can go unnoticed. If you’re completely remote, make sure your contributions to the company are as visible as possible.
Whether it be via Slack, Microsoft Teams or LinkedIn, if you’ve been smashing your targets don’t be a shrinking violet: let the world know. Visibility is absolutely critical.
In summary
While it seems that companies want workers back in the boardroom five days a week, even if it’s purely for show, the most likely outcome is a compromise. Fully remote working may not prove to be a long term solution, with hybrid work pulling ahead as the new normal, but what does that mean for our job security?
While a flexible working model does still offer some significant cost savings for employers, 2025 still threatens to be a tumultuous year. Just feel somewhat rest assured, the answer to keeping your job secure doesn’t necessarily rest on forcing small talk with your boss in the lift.
